Foreign Secretary says he feels sympathy Coulson, as former News of the World
editor faces jail

William Hague has said he feels “sympathy” for Andy Coulson, the former Downing Street aide convicted of phone hacking.

Coulson faces jail this week after being found guilty of conspiring to hack phones while editor of the News of the World.

After his conviction, David Cameron apologised for making a “bad decision” in appointing him director of communications in Number 10.

Asked if he felt sympathy for Coulson, Mr Hague told the BBC's Andrew Marr show: “I’ve always got sympathy for the predicament of anybody I know who has fallen on very difficult situations or brought it on themselves.”

Mr Hague said it was not true that he introduced Coulson to the senior ranks of the Conservative Party, although he did write a column for the now-defunct News of the World.

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There is now a greater and “healthier” distance between the press and politicians,” he said.

Sir Keir Starmer, the former Director of Public Prosecutions, said breaches of the law by journalists should not necessarily be prosecuted if they are in the public interest.

He was responding to reports that Scotland Yard has evidence the News of the World paid private detectives to access the phone records of Freddie Scappaticci, the British agent inside the IRA codenamed Stakeknife.

The tabloid was trying to locate Scappaticci, who was living under the protection of the Ministry of Defence.

The document could open the door to corporate charges against News International, the Independent on Sunday said.

Sir Keir said: “While nobody should be above the law here, there has to be a public interest in journalists doing their business, and not every transgression should necessarily be prosecuted.

"Journalists do serve the public interest in what they do and that has to be preserved.”

Sir Keir, who ran the Crown Prosecution Service when the hacking charges were brought, defended the decision to prosecute Rebekah Brooks.

The former News of the World editor and chief executive of News International was found not guilty of conspiring to hack phones, making corrupt payments to public officials and perverting the course of justice after a £100 million trial.

The case against her was “perfectly good”, Sir Keir said.

“The judge determined on a number of occasions that there was a case to answer, so it was a perfectly good case to bring. She answered it and I fully respect the jury's verdict.”